Bloodywood | |
|---|---|
 Bloodywood performing in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New Delhi, India |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | Fearless |
| Members |
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| Website | bloodywood |
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Bloodywood is an Indian heavy metal band from New Delhi, formed in 2016. They began as a parody band that uploaded metal covers of pop songs on YouTube [1] and later wrote their own music. They have become India's first metal act to chart on Billboard. [1]
Prior to forming the band, Karan Katiyar regularly uploaded parody metal covers of popular Bollywood songs on YouTube, but he had trouble finding a suitable vocalist. At a local gig, Katiyar met Jayant Bhadula, who worked as a talent manager at an entertainment company, and was impressed by his vocal range and versatility. [2] In 2016, Katiyar quit his job as a corporate lawyer and together with Bhadula formed a two-piece band [2] with the intention of "destroying pop songs". [3]
In 2017, Bloodywood re-recorded Linkin Park's song "Heavy" in Linkin Park's early nu metal style, catching the attention of many music websites such as Loudwire and Metal Hammer , the latter of which declared it "what Linkin Park's Heavy should have sounded like." [4] [5] The band made more covers in 2017 and released the compilation cover album Anti-Pop Vol. 1 on their Bandcamp page. [6] This was followed by a metal cover version of the popular Bhangra/Indi-pop song "Tunak Tunak Tun" by Daler Mehndi, featuring guest vocals from Bonde do Metaleiro. [7] [8]
In 2018, Bloodywood released "Ari Ari", a cover of the Bhangra song "Ari Ari" by the duo Bombay Rockers, which itself was a version of the Indian folk song "Baari Barsi". [9] The track featured rapper Raoul Kerr, whom Katiyar had invited to take part after working on a lyric video for him. [2] The song's initial exposure was provided by Bollywood actress Ileana D'Cruz, who shared the video of "Ari Ari" on her social media. [9] The positive reception from fans encouraged the band to write original material and draw more inspiration from Indian folk music. [10] In July of the same year, Bloodywood partnered with online counselling site HopeTherapy and released the song "Jee Veerey", dedicated to fighting depression and mental illness. [10] [11]
On 15 January 2019, the band released "Endurant", a song dealing with the topic of bullying. [12] On 21 April, it was announced that Bloodywood would perform at the German heavy metal festival Wacken Open Air. [13] Two days later, the band released the song "Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot)", initially intended for the upcoming Ubisoft game Beyond Good and Evil 2 . At the same time, Bloodywood announced that Kerr had become a permanent member of the band and that Bloodywood was embarking on their Raj Against the Machine Tour. [14]
In 2021, Bloodywood was named one of the "12 new metal bands to watch in 2022" by the heavy metal and rock music magazine Metal Hammer . [15] They were also nominated for the Breakthrough Asian Band title at the 2021 Global Metal Apocalypse awards, finishing second. [16] Bloodywood's debut studio album, titled Rakshak , and was released on 18 February 2022. [15] Lyrically, it tackles social and political topics, such as the track "Dana-Dan", which discusses rape and sexual assault. [17] [18]
On 18 October 2024, it was announced that the band had signed with Fearless Records. [19] This was followed by the release of the new single "Nu Delhi" and the confirmation of a 2025 European tour. [20] On 6 December, Bloodywood issued the single "Bekhauf", which featured the Japanese kawaii metal band Babymetal. [21] Bloodywood released their second studio album, Nu Delhi , on 21 March 2025. In July, Bloodywood was featured in Babymetal's single "Kon! Kon!", from the album Metal Forth . [22]
Bloodywood's music has been described as nu metal, [23] [24] [25] [26] folk metal, [12] rap metal, [23] and metalcore. [27]
Along with the messages included in their songs, the band aims to support various social/charity causes. With the release of the video for their song "Jee Veerey", they gave away pre-paid online counselling sessions. In a 2023 interview, Kerr claimed that the band's goal was "to channel their angst for the right causes and make people want to do something about them". [1]
Upon returning to India from their 2019 European tour, Bloodywood donated the earnings to Posh Foundation, a local NGO that cares for homeless animals, for the purchase of a new ambulance. [28]
Touring members
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| National | |
| Artists | |
